Happy Ending?
by jaimed1968
Summary: My take on the angst that the episode 5x15 left us in with Killian's words to Emma. Kind of along the lines of 'If you love something let it go' idea.
Disclaimer: These are not my characters though they haunt my dreams and force me to write such wicked things for the pleasure of others, not the money that this does not make. This is also unbeta'd. I've tried to catch and correct any mistakes. Thank you...

The words rang in her ears, "Why bring me back if I should just move on?" His words to her as they stood with his recently found older brother. Tears streamed down her face, a sad teddy bear wrapped in her arms as she lay on the couch in her… no their… no her home in the underworld. She replayed the scene over and over again, like a favorite spot on an old movie. Fast forward, play, rewind, repeat.

-CS-

Tears streamed down her face as the words slipped past his healed lips. Without pretense or preamble, she moved forward. Rage and anger filled her mind as she slapped him hard across the face. It was open handed so she knew it wouldn't leave a visible mark, but her last words to him before she left haunted him.

"You said I was your happy ending… I guess you were wrong," she said in a mere whisper laced with venom. "Nobody ever wanted me before… why should you have been any different."

He'd never heard her speak to him like that. The fact that she was there at all for his sack of old pirate bones should have been a sure sign of how much she loved him and wanted him in her life. "I'm a right bloody fool," he thought as he sat at the Underworld version of the Rabbit Hole nursing a tankard of rum.

Liam sat next to him nursing his own brew as he tried to figure out what was wrong with his little… strike that, younger brother. The blond… Emma he recalled showed a lot of spunk and heart toward his brother but there was something about her that he didn't like. Maybe it was the fact that she was thee Princess of the Enchanted Forest and thus of higher status than their lowly commoner/Naval officer status. Or that she wasn't listening to Killian as he expressed his desire several times for her to have 'let me go.'

"Strong willed, that one is," he commented under his breath as he sipped from his own tankard of mead.

"Aye, but she's worth every bit of it," Killian responded as he locked his blue eyes on his older brother. "She packs quite a punch," he remarked as he rubbed at his sore jaw. His ego was bruised more than his face but her words stung. He had told her back before they turned into Dark Ones, when dealing with the Queens of Evil, Cruella, Ursula and Maleficent, that she was his happy ending. Hell, he and Henry had worked on Operation Light with looking for a home for the three of them. The one that she had lived in as the Dark One while in Storybrook before…

He shook his head trying to forget those dark memories of what he'd done, hurting her verbally with his taunts about her being an orphan, emotionally as he threatened and almost killed her whole family and friends, and finally physically as he had her run him through with Excalibur. Killian drank more of the rum to help ease his troubled mind. How could he ever face the woman he loved after all that he had done to her? How could she so easily forgive him for his past transgressions against her and her family that he caused? And yet, here she was, in the Underworld willing to split her heart that glorious golden heart with him so that he could return to the land of the living to be with her.

Liam looked at his love sick brother, noting the twitching muscle in his jaw, the look of longing in his eyes and a hint of hurting even deeper in the azure depths. "You should go and talk with her. See if you can reason with her to let you go so that you can move on to a better place, one that you can follow me to, as you promised all those years ago."

Killian looked at his brother once more. Liam had changed since the last time he'd seen him. His curly brown hair was more closely cropped, his clothes were of the modern Storybrooke than those of the naval uniform he wore all those years ago, but his eyes… those were the biggest change of all. Long gone were the happy glints looking for adventure and in their place was the look of hardened steel. The only emotion upon them was one of determination, similar to when they were fighting against the enemies of their kingdom. Fight the fight, make sure the crew was safe, no room for anything else until it was all over.

Turning back to his tankard, Killian swallowed the dredges of the rum before he stood up and replied, "You're right. I'll go and talk with the lass. But I'm not promising that I'll be able to talk any sense into her. Once she's got an idea stuck in her mind, she'll run with it."

"I'd expect no less of any lass you take a fancy to Killian. I'll be here when you're done." Liam turned back to his own drink as Killian walked out of the bar wondering where he'd find his beautiful Swan.

-CS-

Tears continued to stream down her face as time ticked slowly by. How could she have been so foolish? It was Neal all over again, except that she hadn't gone THAT far with Killian. She looked over the little bassinet set up in the living room with the little glass unicorn mobile hanging over. It reminded her of the nursery she saw that was to have been hers in the Enchanted Forest. This was to have been her future with Killian, with Henry, with more children, a place to call home. But apparently he didn't want that anymore. He'd lied about her being his 'happy ending.'

"When do I get my happy ending?" she thought as more tears streamed down her face. The brown ragged teddy bear soaked up the tears like a sponge. Emma vaguely remembered having one as a little girl before she was sent back to the orphanage by the Swans at the age of three. Baby is what she'd called it, carrying it everywhere with her. She'd lost it shortly after her return to the orphanage. The older kids making fun of her as she clung to the bear for the love and support that no one else would provide. One day after she woke up the bear was gone, stolen by one of the older kids in the night to teach her a lesson.

Emma recalled all the times that she'd pushed him away, from their first meeting and the trip up the bean stalk to her various attempts during the Ice Queen fiasco. "I was a fool to think that I didn't have to worry about him. That he was a 'survivor.' He ended up just like the rest, Neal, Graham, Walsh… though he turned into a flying monkey. I should have seen that one coming." Rolling onto her side on the couch, the brown teddy bear still wrapped securely in her arms she thought of all the good times they had together. About the times that she almost said she loved him. The alternate reality that Rumple and the Author concocted where Killian died showed her that she couldn't live without him and yet it took taking on the Dark One's powers to get her to say those three little words.

"I love you." They still rang true even though he had told her at least twice to let him go. He'd fought so hard to tear down her walls to be able to love her and be loved in return and yet in the field of Middlemist Flowers it was her who was fighting hard for him, them actually. She knew that she'd broken his trust, but she tried to do what was right even though he'd begged her to let him go. "How could I give up on him? On us?" she thought wryly.

She turned her head a little as she heard boot steps on the wooden porch. Emma would know those steps anywhere. She closed her eyes, trying not to let the tears flow once more. Not yet certain if she wanted to see him just yet or not. Knowing that it was inevitable didn't help any, but just the thought of losing him forever was thoroughly breaking her heart and she knew that it would never be able to be put back together again.

-CS-

He approached the blue two story house with the little white picket fence around the well manicured yard. "Operation Light Swan would have been a success it seems," Killian thought as he opened the gate to the yard. "She would have loved this place, with enough room for Henry and us and maybe more. But now… Now it's just for her and him. I have no place in her life anymore. I need to move on, to keep my promise to my brother to follow him to the ends of the earth," he thought as he slowly stepped onto the porch.

Killian knew that Emma was here, he'd checked with her parents as well as the docks, the pond that she always visited, Granny's and was no where to be found. She apparently hadn't seen anyone after talking with him and Liam so he didn't know where he stood with her at that moment in time.

Raising his hook, Killian knocked on the door as he called out to her, "Swan, Love… we need to talk."

Emma laid quietly on the couch, the bear wrapped in her vice like arms as she tried not to cry out for him as her heart continued to break. Hearing the terms of endearment that she had grown to love hearing in his unique accent almost undid her resolve. She forced herself to stay on the couch, as it hid her well from the windows and prying azure eyes of her beloved pirate.

"I know you're in there Emma," he called out, almost in a whisper. "I know that you've crossed into the Underworld for me and I am truly grateful, but I need you to let me go. If you truly love someone or something you've got to let it be free." Killian eased his forehead to the door as he continued to talk. Never realizing that Emma had some to the door her head just an inch or so away as he continued.

"I've made peace with my past, reconciled with my brother over his asinine antics that got him killed, and am ready to move on to a better place. I know that I've made you promises about being a survivor, of always being there for you when others hadn't and I truly meant that you were my happy ending."

Tears streamed down Emma's face as he continued talking. She covered her mouth to hide the sobs that she knew were inevitable.

Tears fell from Killian's azure eyes as he continued, "You have a family now Emma. One that loves you, for who you are and will do everything in their power to make you happy. I was honored to be a part of your family, to experience the love and joy, heartache and triumph with you and Henry, David and Snow. And I wouldn't trade those moments for anything in this or any realm."

He sniffed back a broken sob as the reality of what he was saying started to take a deeper root into his broken heart. "I wanted to keep my promise to you of being together of sharing our happy ending with Henry. But I was weak and couldn't fight the darkness like you had. You're right, we should have fought the darkness together but things just didn't work out that way. I'm sorry Emma, sorry to be breaking my promise to you. Please forgive this old pirate for his transgressions."

Silence reigned on the Storybrooke porch as Emma cried on one side of the door and Killian on the other. Both wrecked over the others heartache. As he took one final look at the door that would have been a bright and wonderful future with Emma, Killian saluted it once before he turned and stepped off the porch. The door flew open as Emma cried out for him.

"Killian!" He heard his name fly from her lips as he turned around stunned by her appearance. Killian stumbled back as she threw herself into his arms. Her tear streaked face pressed into the leather of his shoulder as his arms came up and wrapped around her.

"I don't know if I can live without you, Killian. You've been such a constant part in my life, the rock that I can always count on being there when things go bad. I never really truly appreciated your presence in my life until it was gone. I know I've made mistakes as well, not listening to you… twice, but I'm willing to fight for you and your happy ending. If that means its not with me, then…" She never got to finish her sentence as his lips fell upon hers in a deep soul searing kiss.

Seconds ticked by then a very loud 'Tick' reverberated though out the Underworld as the library clock tower bell struck another minute. A soul had passed once more to a better place. Only this time it wasn't forward it was going… but back… back to the land of the living.

As soon as the clock moved, Killian fell to his knees; pain wracked his muscular and mostly healed body. He clawed at the leather jacket over his wounded heart as he screamed in agony. With deft fingers Emma quickly helped Killian open the leather jacket and the black button down shirt to reveal the three inch long scar over his left peck. As if by magic the white line of the scar slowly glowed as if touched by sunlight and the lub-dub of a faint heart beat resonated from his chest. Emma placed her hand over where she'd stabbed him and felt the pulsing muscle under her warm touch. Tears continued to fall as she realized that True Love's Kiss had worked and that Killian would be able to return to the land of the living with Henry.

As the pain quickly subsided and Killian was able to draw breathe once more. Fully enjoying the feeling once again he looked at Emma and the tears of joy sliding down her face. With a half crocked smile he commented, "Seems like you had an ace up your sleeve after all."

A smile crossed her lips as she replied, "It was there all along. You just needed to find it out for yourself."

Grabbing her gently by the front of her jacket, Killian pulled her down to the ground beside his kneeling body. "It looks as if I will be able to provide you with that happy ending after all," he whispered against her lips as he sought them out once more.

"I'll take you up on that Captain," she replied as she fully engaged her lips to his.

So lost in each other, they never saw Liam as he walked up and saw the happy reunion. A sad smile graced his lips as he witnessed his brother and Emma kindles their blooming relationship. "Aye, he has a good one on his hands this time," he thought as he watched for a few moments more. Seeing that he was in good company, Liam moved once more back toward the Charming loft so that he could assist them with plans on returning to Storybrooke. He had a purpose once more, to help his brother and his new family gets home. Liam realized that he was being selfish in regards to having Killian keep his promise. "One day he'll return to here and we'll be reunited once more. Knowing that he's not alone anymore will make the wait easier on my conscious. I just hope that he lives his life fully this time, and not seek out revenge for his impromptu trip to the Underworld."

Emma spied Liam as he walked around the corner, headed toward her parents' place. Nudging Killian with her shoulder, she comments breathlessly, "We really should either take this inside for more privacy or wait until we get home to continue this at a later date. People were watching us!"

"Let them watch!" Killian exclaimed. "It's not every day that the love of my life finds a way to give my life back."

Emma turns her head slightly as she replied, "Yeah… but I don't think you'd want your brother see you ravishing a damsel in the front yard either."

Shock crossed Killian's eyes as he sputtered out, "He… he was… he was here?"

Emma nodded as she moves to stand back on her feet. She held a hand out to Killian as he moves to stand by her. A deep red blush from the tips of his ears down to the deep V of his open shirt that still showed off way too much of his chest hair Killian started rubbing that spot behind his ear as he said, "Well… That's a bit awkward."

Emma laughed as a smile crossed her lips. She kissed him once on the cheek as she pulled him towards the loft. "Come on, lets get out of this place!"

Enjoying seeing the look of love and devotion on her face, Killian replies, "As you wish."


End file.
